Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Critical thinking: things to avoid doing

We can all learn how to think more effectively. Most of the time, we make mistakes more or less without thinking, which seems a strange thing to say. Nevertheless, we do make fundamental errors in thinking, and here are some of the things we do. This list is obviously too long to remember, but if you recognize some of your own faults, you would do well to make a shorter, more personal list and then remember the points on it and then take care to avoid them. Being aware of any sloppiness in your thinking is half way to avoiding them.

• Jumping to conclusionsIn our rush to draw conclusions from what we find out, we often miss out vital steps; this is called jumping to conclusions. It is something we all do; sometimes we get away with it and sometimes we don’t. Jumping to conclusions in written work is usually easily spotted, though it can sometimes take another reader to see the mistakes we have made.

• Failing to think through implicationsEvery decision we make, every path we take in our thought processes has implications that may not always be evident. It is therefore vital to think everything through, as we say, in order to avoid surprises later.

• Losing track of our goalLosing track of what we want to achieve is a common fault in thinking; we might get distracted by something that we find particularly interesting, or we might just forget where we are going. Writing down stated goals is one way of avoiding losing sight of a goal.

• Being unrealisticKeeping to the plausible and the possible is vital, but using your imagination to think of alternative possibilities should not be avoided merely because it sometimes yields unrealistic notions.

• Focusing on the trivialIgnoring what is important and concentrating on what might turn out to be trivial or unimportant can sometimes happen. It is sometimes good to step back from an issue to get some perspective.

• Failing to notice contradictionsIf we invest time and effort in our thinking, it is understandable that we fail to notice things that cancel each other out.

• Accepting inaccurate informationThe trouble with information is that it is sometimes wrong, but sounds right. Checking things out is one way of avoiding accepting information at face value without checking into it. Never taking things for granted is the way forward.

• Asking questions that are too vagueThe wording of the questions you ask is important, both to yourself and to those you ask. If you are formulating questions to ask when reading, be careful to modify them when further information requires you to change direction.

• Giving answers that are too vagueBeing vague can sometimes be used to avoid certain issues. Doing this in writing is soon noticed by others, and you should beware of doing it yourself. Rereading something you have written can help you to notice something that is too vague before another reader notices it.

• Asking loaded questionsThe answers you get depend on the questions you ask. Asking loaded questions means seeking out answers you want to hear rather than truthful ones. The questions you ask can indicate your prejudices.

• Asking irrelevant questionsSimilarly, asking questions that have little bearing on the things that matter is equally futile. Ask pertinent questions and you will get answers that you can work with and that push your thoughts forward.

• Answering questions we are not competent to answerRealising the limits of our knowledge is a useful thing to be able to do, and the willingness to admit it is also valuable. Don’t stretch the credibility of your work by using information in ways that aren’t logical or lead from the quality of information you are using.

• Coming to conclusions based upon inaccurate or irrelevant informationAnother way of saying the same thing as the previous point is that you shouldn’t take up positions or stances in arguments that are not supported by accurate and relevant information. Doing so makes an argument crumble under examination.

• Ignoring information that does not support our viewOnly using information that supports your views is tantamount to being biased, and while being extremely tempting, should be avoided at all costs; be truthful and have the courage to confront your own bias.

• Making inferences not supported by our experienceSimilarly, inferring things that are not supported, either by experience or evidence or both is illogical and will distort other claims in your work.

• Distorting data and state it inaccuratelyIt goes without saying that one should never alter data or change it in any way. To do so is to risk making your whole argument, once it has been discovered that the data you used was altered. There was a very famous case recently, of a learned expert in genetics changing the data to suit his preferred outcome. He was found out and did irreparable harm to his reputation.

• Failing to notice the inferences we do makeInferring is not the same as proving. In fact, it is using data to make suppositions, but these should be based upon logic and be entirely open and capable of being explained rationally.

• Coming to unreasonable conclusionsReaching conclusions that are not reasonable – based upon reason – is bound to make the whole of your work insupportable and indefensible.

• Failing to notice our assumptionsSimilarly, the assumptions – the things you take for granted, almost – should be able to stand up to questioning. Being unaware that you are making assumptions is a major error and should be avoided. The way to do this is to ask yourself why you think what you do. If the reasons are not based upon clear evidence, you should re-examine your thinking.

• Making unjustified assumptionsWhilst making assumptions is something that we all do, the ones we make must be entirely rational and open to observation and scrutiny. Assumptions that are not based upon rational and open factors are merely bias or worse, prejudice.

• Missing key ideasUsing all the information at your disposal, all that is relevant, is vital. Missing out key ideas means that your points are invalid and as such worthless.

• Using irrelevant ideasAgain using anything that is irrelevant is futile. The difficulty is deciding what it relevant and what is not; relevant ideas will help to further your arguments, irrelevant ideas will only confuse, distort and mask logical progression in an argument.

• Forming confused ideasIdeas that are confused tend to be more easily detected by voicing them to others. Attentive listeners will usually pick up on ideas that are confused or unclear.

• Forming superficial conceptsConcepts that do not stand up to logical scrutiny are worse than useless; they can confound your thinking. Again, voicing ideas helps to cancel those that do not ‘hold water’, as we say.

• Misusing wordsIn academic writing, using the right words is vital; using words that have even only a fine difference in meaning to the ones that fit the context will mean that your writing is misinterpreted, which will mean you will not get credit for it, even though you know in your own mind what you mean. The ability to express yourself precisely and concisely is everything.

• Ignoring relevant viewpointsIn our drive to prove a point we have set out to make, we can sometimes ignore viewpoints that, while going against our own, are nevertheless valid and useful to us. Being open-minded is the way to avoid ignoring views that could help to make an argument stronger.

• Not seeing issues from points of view other than our ownEgocentric thinking leads us to come to conclusions that are insupportable, or worse, make us look foolish and self-centred.

• Being unaware of our prejudicesConfronting our prejudices can only happen when we are aware of their existence, and since some of our prejudices are fundamental to our sense of worth, who we are and how we see ourselves, becoming aware of them can be painful. Nevertheless, all prejudice is detrimental to a wholesome, balanced point of view.

Put another way, the points made above can be expressed more simply and comprehensibly in the following ways:-